Join the Cult of Tom Segura This Week

July 15, 2015

Even though Tom Segura has two albums, a Netflix special, and a top comedy podcast, he still feels like everyone’s little hidden gem of a comic. Segura’s just one of the many cult-favorite comedians on tap this week for you to discover.

Wednesday, July 15:

Blaria Live!
Union Hall (702 Union Street, Brooklyn), 8 p.m., $10

Powerhouse Phoebe Robinson and The Daily Show’s Jessica Williams are the duo behind the snarky, smartass mini-empire known as Blaria (Black Daria). Every month they bring a stacked lineup to Union Hall, and this time around they’ve supersized it to include Los Angeles visitor, Metalocalypse’s Brendon Small, and Aussie comic Scott Dooley. Two of New York’s most hilarious comics — Yamaneika Saunders and Sarah Tollemache — round out the bill.

This free companion to the better-known Sunday show packs in the same great punch for none of the cost, plus it’s a great spot to discover hot new comics who haven’t burst onto the collective conscious just yet. Of course, it’s still got a stiff shot of high-caliber talent. This week it’s Gary Vider and Mike Cannon.

A lot of variety shows aren’t much more than, “Here’s a regular stand-up and then here’s a stand-up who strums a guitar while he tells jokes!” The newly revamped Lemonade Stand is aiming for a true multimedia experience: music, musical comedy, live sketches, and (of course) stand-up, all with a summer-camp talent show feel. Folk comedy group Summer and Eve, Guy Code’s Chris DiStefano and comedy’s greatest opera singer, Matteo Lane, lead the pack of talent on tap for the evening.

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Thursday, July 16:

Howard Kremer
The Bell House (149 7th Street, Brooklyn), 9 p.m., $15

Howard Kremer is an incredibly prolific comedian, podcaster, and rapper. Yes, rapper. In addition to his many odes to “Summah,” he has released three comedy rap albums as Dragon Boy Suede. His podcast, Who Charted?, and annual Summahfest at Meltdown Comics in L.A. are feverishly beloved institutions of alt comedy, and his live appearances are always memorable and truly unique experiences.

Stand-Up on the Spot
The Stand (239 Third Avenue), 8 p.m., $15

This bicoastal show celebrates its East Coast anniversary this month with a stellar lineup of comedians forced to riff and joke on topics thrown out by audience members on the spot. Strong writers Dan Soder and Mike Vecchione complement the pleasantly unpredictable Sean Patton and the night’s emcee, Judah Friedlander.

The delightful Josh Gondelman (Last Week Tonight, Modern Seinfeld) heads up an all-around strong lineup of great local talent, including Jason Saenz, Maria Heinegg, and Christi Chiello. No gimmicks, just great comedy.

Artprov
QED (27-16 23rd Avenue, Astoria), 7:30 p.m., $5

This multidisciplinary show asks stand-ups and improvisers to create scenes and songs based on visual art, while that artist works to create a new piece based on the performances in front of him. Guest artist Matt Larsen’s graffiti-inspired work is the center of this artistic circle of life.

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Friday, July 17:

Tom Segura
The Bell House (149 7th Street, Brooklyn), 8:30 p.m., $20

Tom Segura is the kind of comedian thousands and thousands of people consider their own. He’s developed a cult following thanks to his popular podcast, Your Mom’s House, and frequent appearances on The Joe Rogan Experience and other Deathsquad network shows. And he has even stronger comedy chops, with two albums and a Netflix special under his belt. Now’s your chance to “discover” this comedy beast for yourself.

Kaytlin Baileykaytlinbailey.com

The Naked Show
The Creek and The Cave (10-93 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City), 11:59 p.m., $20

While many comedians bare their souls in their acts, it’s become increasingly popular for them to bare their bodies as well. Maybe it’s because we get cooped up and covered in sweaters all winter, or maybe we’re all just a bunch of pervs, but there is a boom of naked and nearly naked comedy shows in the city. Catch the original, where you can even disrobe in your seat if you like, hosted by Kaytlin Bailey.

Zebra Cake
The Beauty Bar (231 East 14th Street), 8:30 p.m., Free

You’d think offering gorgeous manicures and sexy drinks would be plenty to handle for one small venue, but the Beauty Bar also plays host to a regular rotation of music and comedy shows, including Zebra Cake on Fridays. It’s a fun, free way to get a little taste of the Brooklyn comedy spirit in kitschy retro Manhattan style. This week’s lineup features indie hotshots Ryan Beck and Evan Williams.

Los Angeles–based Stu Jenkins and Alex Dezen are Warp Drive, a band that’s part music, part sci-fi, and part comedy, with a dash of the indescribable. So they are a natural fit with the comedy/musical/weird brilliance that is Dave Hill. Throw in Aparna Nancherla, Noah Gardenswartz, and Amber Nelson and you have one heckuva fantastic show that’s sure to pack in everything you’ve ever dreamed of and a few things that would never even cross your mind.

The Blue Show The Creek and the Cave (10-93 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City), 11:59 p.m., Free

Aaron Berg’s fledgling comedy experiment takes comedians who normally work on the cleaner side of the ledger and forces them to bring out the darker and dirtier stuff they usually keep hidden. You never know if you’re going to be surprised to find out what lurks in the hearts of the normally cute and comforting, or if you’ll just get to watch someone awkwardly stammer through their first dirty jokes since the junior high playground. Casey Balsham, Chrissie Mayr, and Monroe Martin are the ones looking to get their mouth washed out with soap this month.

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Sunday, July 19:

Mike Lawrence
Carolines on Broadway (1626 Broadway), 7:30 p.m., $20

Fresh off his first pilgrimage to Comic-Con in San Diego, Mike Lawrence will be doing a rare in-city headlining set. Though you can catch him around town doing shorter showcase sets most weeks, it’s worth the splurge to get a full hour of Mike’s often darkly personal pop-culture observations.

Colin Quinn: The New York Story
The Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street), 3 p.m., $76

While it’s definitely expensive compared to a free bar show, Colin Quinn’s sharp and hilarious observations on society and culture are priceless, so $76 is a relative steal. Directed by Jerry Seinfeld, Quinn’s latest one-man show is all about what makes our city wonderful and terrible at the same time. It runs through August 16, with many of the dates already sold out (this Sunday’s matinee still has seats available as of this writing), so grab your tickets quickly!

Chris Gethard is best known as the host of long-running cable access/Web show (now airing on Fusion) The Chris Gethard Show, which is a wild and engaging mix of high-concept and lowbrow humor that feels like it’s perpetually wobbling on a tightrope in the most enjoyable way possible. Fans of Gethard’s uncompromising ethics when it comes to the show will love how he brings the same vibe to his hour, which covers suicide, alcoholism, and “all the other funniest parts of life.”

Storyteller Adam Wade has won The Moth’s GrandSLAM a staggering twenty times, so you know he can spin a good yarn. He’ll be spitting his best of the best as he records his debut album tonight, so why not grab a beer and settle into a chair and enjoy it?

Look, I’m going to feature a show with Jessica Kirson on it every single week until each and every New Yorker has gone and fallen in love with her for themselves. Because she’s incredible, but just hasn’t received the kind of wide exposure that allows whole demographics to fall in love with her all at once. But I promise if you check her out, you’ll walk away a fan for life.

Before Roe, terminating a pregnancy meant confronting a nightmare of quacks and butchers, knitting needles and wire coat hangers. The exceptions were people like Dr. X, “the stars of the underground abortion circuit.”